Patricia's Story
by moonstar213
Summary: This is a back story I'm working on for the witch Patricia who appears in episode 10 of the anime. I'm writing how I envision her life before she was a witch, mostly because she's so fascinating as a witch. Maybe in the future she will get her own official back story, but until then, here's my version!
1. Chapter 1

***Hello! Thank you for being interested in my story! Just so there's no confusion, because the magical girls and their witch forms have different names, I have chosen to name Patricia Akiko Takahashi. Enjoy!***

"Akiko, make sure to take an umbrella to school today. It's raining," her mother called from the first floor of the house.

"Yes, mother," she called back in her soft voice.

She was looking in the mirror at herself. Her white, red, and blue sailor uniform that she wore for her high school was her favorite outfit. Ovular glasses with black plastic rims were perched on her nose. She could hardly see without them. With a mild sigh, she pulled self-consciously at her bangs. Her black hair was very long and straight. Her bangs were the same. They had grown quite long, nearly obstructing her vision, and she hadn't bothered to ask her mom to cut them back for her yet. She didn't care about her appearance. Why should she? No one at school thought she was attractive. She didn't have a boyfriend or any real friends. The only people who were nice to her were only pretending to like her because she was the class rep and wanted favors. She knew that from the beginning, but it still hurt her when she heard her so-called friends talking badly about her.

Akiko sighed again and grabbed her umbrella. As she trekked to school, a beloved place to her, she just wished that she could be more popular with her peers.

The closer she got to school, the more students passed her. No one greeted her no one even looked twice in her direction.

Throughout all her classes, she felt the same way; invisible.

Until, that is, class ended.

"Akiko-chan!" a girl from her class called loudly. She made a big waving gesture and ran over excitedly.

Akiko turned on her fake, polite smile.

"I'm supposed to be at tennis practice in five minutes but I'm supposed to take this stack of books to the library first," she said, gesturing at a tall stack of books on a desk inside classroom 1-4. "I can't make it there and back to tennis in time. Can you do it for me?"

"Well, I-," she started.

"You can right? I mean, we're friends, right?"

"O-of course," she accepted immediately. She wasn't one to bring up any sort of confrontation.

Slender and weak, she struggled to get the books to the library. Half of the school's baseball team passed her on her way down the hall. They all pretended not to see her.

In middle school, she had been nominated as class rep one year as a joke and actually won the title. That was when her classmates realized how easy she was to push around. Since a lot of students from her middle school also attended her high school and were in her class, she was easily elected as a representative once again. She kind of enjoyed being class rep, in the aspects of helping around the school and even doing paperwork. If her classmates would only befriend her for real, she thought, she would have a dazzling high school life. Unfortunately, they didn't try and neither did she. She was too reserved to take initiative.

After dropping off the heavy books, she had some paperwork to fill out. It didn't take her long at all, so it was time for her to go home. She passed several club rooms on her way out of the school. It sounded like the students inside were always having fun and working hard, no matter which club she passed. Oh well… as much as it seemed like fun, she knew she'd be lying to herself if she said that she'd join a club if she wasn't a class representative.

When she went to grab her umbrella before she left, it wasn't there. She double and triple checked that it wasn't anywhere before giving up. She looked outside and grimaced. It was pouring.

There was a konbini not too far from the gates of the school. She could buy an umbrella there. She took a deep breath and made a run for it, covering her head as best she could with her school bag.

After she bought the cheapest umbrella she could find, not that it would do her much good now that she was already soaking wet, she slowly walked the rest of the way home.

Akiko's household consisted of her mother and father. She didn't have any siblings or even pets. She enjoyed being at home. She enjoyed being at school, too though. Actually, school might even be her favorite place. She loved learning. She loved studying, reading, and writing, too. If she just had friends to enjoy her time with…

"I'm home," she called, her small voice echoing through the house.

"Welcome back," her mother called from somewhere on the first floor.

Akiko took off her shoes and headed up to her room. From her window, she could see the light gray rain clouds slowly drifting through the sky. She felt like a cloud sometimes. When she was out in public, she often felt like a cloud drifting through the sky, watching the people that passed below her but with them hardly ever looking up and seeing her.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Akiko did in the morning was look out her window.

"It's raining again today. How long will I continue to be unlucky for?" she whispered to herself. She had so desperately hoped that the rain had stopped. It wasn't even the rainy season.

Akiko hated the rain. It was necessary, no doubt, but couldn't it just stick exclusively to the rainy season?

With a sigh, she slid out of bed, donned her glasses, and started getting ready for school.

"Did you get breakfast?" her mother asked her as she scurried past.

"I'm not hungry this morning," she said for the third morning in a row. She didn't have much of an appetite anymore. Anxiety from school was starting to affect her physically.

"At least eat a piece of toast," her mother requested.

"I'll be okay. I packed big lunch," she said, raising her bento.

Her mother tried to protest, but Akiko disappeared out the door with her new umbrella.

Getting to school on time was never an issue for her, so she walked at a leisurely pace.

"Akiko Takahashi," a high voice called clearly to her.

"Huh?"

She stopped and looked around.

There was a couple sharing an umbrella in front of her but no one else was around.

"Akiko," it called again.

She spun around, looking in all directions.

"Up here."

She tilted her umbrella back and looked up.

Perched on the second floor balcony of an apartment building was a strange white creature with long ears and pink eyes. Was someone playing a joke on her? Maybe someone from her class lived in that apartment. Without wanting to find out who, she turned and started walking again.

"Akiko! Wait!" it said.

The voice was closer now. She looked down. The creature or stuffed animal or whatever it could be was standing next to her.

"My name is Kyubey. I would like to talk to you about something."

The voice was definitely coming from it and not someone hiding somewhere. She looked around nervously to make sure no one was watching her and then picked up the self-proclaimed Kyubey. The body was soft and warm. Kyubey blinked.

"Y-you blinked! This isn't a joke?"

"Not at all," he assured her.

The wind picked up and blew her umbrella out of where she had nestled it in her elbow.

"My umbrella…" she mumbled as she watched it blow down the side walk too fast for her to catch up to.

"Akiko, please, I would like to talk to you," Kyubey said, bringing her attention back to him.

She nodded once and put it back down on the ground. She led the way back to her house, not realizing that she was letting in a cold-hearted creature that only wanted to use her.

"Akiko? What are you doing back? Did you forget something? Your umbrella?" asked her mother.

"Um…" she looked down nervously at Kyubey.

"She can't see me," he said.

Akiko breathed a sigh of relief and lied, "No, I just don't feel well and I dropped my umbrella on the way back. I'm going to lie down in my room."

"You do look a bit pale. Do you need anything?"

"No thank you," she replied as she was already going up the stairs.

Once in her room with Kyubey, she shut the door behind her and sat on her bed. Kyubey hopped up onto her desk and sat down. She had seen him move enough now that she knew he was actually real.

"So… Kyubey… what do you want? What are you?" she asked.

"I am a being that grants wishes and make contracts with magical girls. I see that you have the potential to be a magical girl. In return for becoming one, I can grant any wish you ask of me, as long as it is in my power."

"Magical girl…? Wishes? You have to be joking," she said, putting one hand over her heart.

"I assure you it is not a joke. Don't you have something you want to wish for?"

School flashed into her mind.

"To get my wish granted… I need to be… a magical girl?"

"That's correct."

"What do I have to do as a magical girl?"

She played with her hair as he explained, "Magical girls exist to fight witches. Witches are entities that cause bad things to happen. Natural disasters and even suicides are often the results of witches."

"Suicides?" she echoed, her eyes widening. "Witches cause things like that?"

"Not all suicides are the results of witches, of course."

"Witches like the wicked witch? Like, green ladies on broomsticks?"

"No, witches are not manifested in the form of humans. Witches are much larger and more abstract. They have barriers to keep normal people out. But you, as a magical girl, will be able to see them."

"That sounds dangerous…" she mumbled.

"I will admit that it is a dangerous task. Once you make a contract and become a magical girl, you will be equipped with powers that will help you defeat them. I can't force you to make a contract with me. The weight of how much you desire your wish is what will decide that."

"My wish... Does that mean… Will you be able to even make someone like popular at school?" she questioned. Tears were forming in her eyes. She could be popular at school? The idea of having a happy school life was washing away the fearsome idea of fighting witches.

"Most definitely. So, what do you say, Akiko Takahashi?"


End file.
